


The Great Escapist

by deandcastiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 8x21, Episode: s08e21 The Great Escapist, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, The Great Escapist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-01
Updated: 2013-05-01
Packaged: 2017-12-10 02:58:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/780989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deandcastiel/pseuds/deandcastiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So this is my speculation on what could happen after what looks like Dean and Sam finding Cas in the middle of the road in the CHCH promo for 8x21.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Great Escapist

**Author's Note:**

> This is more general but it does focus on dean and cas's relationship and yeah, spoilers up to 8x21 obviously.

They think it's a mirage at first. Sam, sitting bleary eyed and deteriorating in the passenger seat, chalks it up to be another symptom of the trials. Dean has his own reasons for why he thinks he's seeing Cas, ones that he maybe hasn't fully come to terms with.

It's been weeks since Cas disappeared with the angel tablet so on this day like any other they hope yes but not for much, and especially not for a bloody figure in the middle of the road.

But it's not like a vision at all, instead of disappearing after a blink or two, the figure in tan grows steadily as they get closer, until they can see Cas's shocked face, eyes wild and staring straight at the headlights of the Impala. Bloody and achingly real. Dean swears, swerving widely and screeching to a halt on the wrong side of the road, missing the metal bar by inches. Doors slam and thudding footsteps make their way to Cas, strong arms suddenly both sides of him, holding him up.

"Cas?" "Cas, hey, Cas! What the hell happened?" Cas looks up at the two of them, seeming confused, the deer-in-headlights look still in place.

"Naomi." He manages to gasp out. "She- she..." he trails off, sagging a little in their arms, face twisted up in pain.

"Dean, he's losing a lot of blood. we need to take him home and get him cleaned up right now." 

Dean nods, tearing his eyes away from Cas and snapping into action. He takes off his plaid shirt overshirt, using it to put pressure on Cas's stomach and stem the blood flow. They manage to haul him into the backseat of the impala between the two of them, closing the door firmly after him and peeling out. 

Sam has his whole body turned towards the backseat, watching Cas anxiously and Dean does the same, watching Cas in the rearview mirror more often than the road. 

They make it back to the bunker in record time, and walk inside as quickly as they can with Cas held gingerly between the two of them. By the time they get him in Dean's room and shuck off the bloody trenchcoat, his eyes are fluttering closed as if he doesn't even have the energy to keep them open.

Dean tries to keep the panic at bay, swallowing dryly as he lays Cas down on the bed, ripping open Cas's bloody shirt. The deep gash he finds underneath makes them both suck in a breath. 

"Shit. He's gonna need stitches. Sam, you're in no condition to help, bring me the first aid stuff and go call Garth. I can handle this." 

Sam opens his mouth to protest but he shuts it again when he sees the look Dean throws him. He nods, moving off into the rest of the bunker to do just that. 

Dean cleans up the blood around the wound as best as he can with a wet rag, almost involuntarily mumbling little threats and promises in the process. "I got you,Cas", "don't you dare die on me". He tries to provide some comfort as he works, pushing Cas's hair back from his sweaty forehead with a shaky hand, stroking him gently across his wrist, his palm.

Sam is back only a few moments after and he begins to work, cleaning up the wound and stitching him up carefully. He wraps a clean bandage around the gash and then moves his attention to the little cuts and smears of blood on Cas's face, cleaning those up too. When he's done, he arranges Cas on the bed more comfortably and moves back a little to watch for signs of consciousness. He's breathing, ragged, shallow breaths but his eyes are still closed. Dean moves back in to sit on the other side of the bed, deciding wait it out, not wanting to leave him alone in case he poofs off the moment he wakes up. He needs some answers.

Sam wanders in and out a few times and they talk in low worried voices about what could've happened, about the trials, about Sam. Just as Dean is about to doze off, he feels stirring next to him and turns to see Cas sitting up and beginning to look around with a panicked expression on his face. 

"Cas." he gasps out, voice gone hoarse from disuse and clutches at his shoulders. He pulls Cas towards him in an awkward embrace right there with Cas sitting up with his legs spread out and Dean kneeling to meet him. Cas is stiff in his arms at first but he melts into him after a few moments, sighing a little against his neck.  
They untangle and Dean sits back down after a few moments, still watching Cas warily.

"What is this place?" Cas asks, looking curiously at personal touches around the room.

"It's our home base right now. We'll tell you about it later. Let's just take it one thing at a time. What the hell happened to you?"

Cas sighs, sinking down into the bed a little with the sound. "I was somewhere in Portland when Naomi found me. She had some other angels working with her and they overpowered me. "

Dean lets out a breathe, remembering Naomi's visit and the strange shuffle that had happened between Crowley and her for Bobby's soul. He nods at Cas to continue when he pauses.

"They took me to somewhere, to interrogate me about the tablet. I managed to escape my bonds but I was overpowered yet again. I used the last of my strength to escape, aiming for the Impala but I was a little off as you saw." Cas quirks his mouth up in a humorless half-smile, letting it fall again in the space of a blink. 

"Huh. Why'd you run, Cas? Maybe... maybe if you were with us, we could've helped. You don't trust us. is that it?" Dean scrubs a hand across his face, frustration and hurt bubbling in him.

Cas shakes his head, looking world-weary. "It's not that. You two are the only family I have, you know that. I needed to reflect, to find out who I was, away from Naomi, away from everything. I almost killed you, Dean. I- I didn't know what to do with that realization or if I could be trusted."

Dean listens with a pained expression, clenching and unclenching his hand, itching to reach out and touch. He watches Cas finish with a grimace,shifting on the bed to try to relieve the pain and decides that the rest of the talking can wait until Cas has his strength back, until he can heal himself. 

"You should rest, get your strength back. I'm gonna go tell Sam you're okay. Don't you dare fly off, alright?  
I'm begging you. We need to talk."

Cas just nods, shifting to get more comfortable and closes his eyes.

"Cas?" Dean says, one hand on the doorknob.

"Yes, Dean?"

"I- I don't blame you, for any of it. It wasn't you, Cas. So don't beat yourself up over it. We're- I'm just glad you're alright." Dean catches Cas's eyes, trying to convey more than his stuttering words could. 

Cas stares back, his face growing a little softer at the words. He gives Dean a ghost of a smile and closes his eyes again. Dean hovers at the door for a few beats, watching the angel with a storm of expressions fighting for control on his face, before he settles on relieved and closes the door behind him with a soft click.


End file.
